December 2013 Newsletter

First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

P.O. Box 170, Eagle Butte, SD 57625

(605) 964-3617 (Office) / (605) 891-1704 (Pastor’s Cell)

December 10, 2013

Dear Friends,

  It never fails.  From October to April, every time I have a conversation with someone from out of state, they always ask me the same question:  “How’s the weather up there?”  Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s cold.

How cold is it?

It’s so cold that hitchhikers are going around holding up pictures of thumbs.

It’s so cold that the cows are intentionally leaning against the electric fences.

It’s so cold that I chipped a tooth yesterday-on my soup!

That’s how cold it is.  But if we are going to assign a number to the cold, let’s say that it’s been down to negative twenty-two degrees, with a wind chill factor of negative thirty-five.

          One thing that has not been cold is our Wednesday night church attendance, which has risen significantly in recent weeks.  I am unsure of the exact reason, but when God has given us a great gift, I’m not going to ask questions. 

I have taken a few weeks recently to do something special with the Wednesday night crowd, and have been taking them on a virtual tour of Israel.  It is amazing what a projector and some digital pictures can do!

Our Reservation Gets a New Store

The Cheyenne River reservation is approximately 4,200 square miles in area, has a population of nearly 12,000 people, and (up until recently) has been home to two grocery stores.  This has placed a considerable strain on the population, as many people in the outlying settlements have had to drive many miles in order to buy groceries.  In fact, to conserve gas money, many people have resorted to sending one person to buy groceries for a group of people.  But now, thanks be to God, we have gained some relief.  A new, modern grocery store has been opened in the town of Dupree, 30 minutes to the West of us. I was given the honor of offering the dedication prayer at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and then had the further honor of buying some orange juice.

                                             A Race to Save a Life

On October 12, Eagle Butte unknowingly played host to a most unusual event: the smallest half-marathon race ever.  Our own Amanda Benson, who leads our music, had signed up to run in the Crazy Horse Half-Marathon in Rapid City. But when the race was canceled, due to a freak snowstorm, Benson decided that she would not be deterred from running the race.  So a week later, she ran the  full 13.5 miles around the city of Eagle Butte.  Her reason?  Simply because she had promised her sponsor that she would race, and was determined to do her part.    By running the race, Benson collected over $1,500 to pay for counseling for women who are considering abortion.  Through her efforts, the lives of 1.25 children could be saved.  Those who saw her finish the race noted that it was the first time in history that a racer ever finished first and last at the same time! 

Eagle Butte Mourns a Fallen Warrior

On October 10, our church was saddened to learn that Ballard White had died of a stroke.  Ballard founded First Baptist Church back in 1966, and became its first pastor.  He poured his entire life into this church, this community, and this reservation for nearly thirty years before finally retiring in the early 1990’s.  During his time, First Baptist Church saw a time of tremendous growth and change.  We reached out to the surrounding communities, planting sister churches in LaPlante, Dupree, Cherry Creek and Green Grass.  If ever a pastor was missed by his congregation, that pastor was Ballard White.  A man of rugged spirit and power, God used him to change the lives of many hundreds of people.  I am honored to offer my service, such as it is, in the position that he once held.

Our Church is Helped by Many Friends

Not so long ago, our friend Josh Ellis from Tennessee gave us the gift of a brand new door.  The previous door had become so old that it was letting in a lot of cold air and costing the church a good deal of money in utilities.  But the door was not installed until we had another visit from our good friends at Hamilton Baptist Church in Virginia.  They helped in a good variety of ways, one of which being to install the new door.  Its seal is now so tight that it’s just like another part of the wall!  We look forward to seeing our next heating bill.

Clothing Giveaway!

First Baptist Church is blessed with generous and kind donors from all over the country, who God uses to make our work possible.  As good people like you send clothing and other assorted items to the church, I let them accumulate until we have enough to put on a Clothing Giveaway.  I was able to put on just such a giveaway last month, just in time for winter.  It was a great success.  People came from all over the community, picking up the clothing, blankets and accessories they would need to get through the winter.  Some of them even took a little extra, to share with their friends who were not able to come.Our special thanks to all of our generous donors, who helped make this event into a reality!

Let Us Give Thanks

Each year, with the help of our friends from Hamilton Baptist Church,  we put on a Thanksgiving supper for the people of this community.  This year was no exception.  We advertised it throughout the city, recruited some of the young people to help serve, and decked out the fellowship hall in its Thanksgiving best.  But this year, we changed certain features of the meal to make it a more overtly religious gathering.  Tracts from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, telling how to be saved, were arranged at each place setting.  The blessing was saved until the middle of the meal, by which time a great many more guests were around to hear it.  And everyone attending to invited to go to a series of revival meetings that were to begin the following night.  God rewarded our efforts at making the gathering more overtly religious by making it highly successful.  The most conservative estimates for the number of people we served was 150, shattering our record for any previous year.  Some people even estimate that the number was closer to 200!  And all of us gathered together to give thanks with a grateful heart.  What an evening!  I love my job!

Revival Meetings, Run by an Old Friend

Last month, we received a long-expected visit from our former Pastor and long-time friend, Phil Lawrence.  Pastor Phil was a great pastor to First Baptist Church, and only left because he is that proverbial rolling stone who cannot spend too much time in one place.  He is currently doing God’s work on another reservation.  But last month, he came in and preached a series of revival meetings that were very well-attended.  We are very grateful to have had a visit from one of our dedicated fellow-servants!

Sending Christmas Blessings to Children Across the World

Because First Baptist Church relies so much on help from others who have more than us, we believe that it is only right to also reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves.  For this reason, we took on a new project this year: Operation Christmas Child.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this charity, Operation Christmas Child is an outreach project that sends gifts to children in third-world nations.  Those who donate to this charity fill a shoebox with basic necessities like a toothbrush, a comb, some socks, and so forth.  They also include some toys.  Our church set a goal of sending six such shoeboxes this year, but our membership proved generous enough to exceed all expectations, such that 14 shoeboxes were sent!  May God bless the children who receive them! 

So perhaps you are wondering how you can become a partner with us in our ministry here in Eagle Butte?  If so, then we are happy to tell you, since we welcome assistance from the body of Christ. Here is what we need the most:

Prayer.  It may be true that our church is getting along very well at the moment, and that God is doing great things here.  But it is precisely when a church is being used by God that Satan does all in his power to destroy it.  So please pray, my brothers and sisters.  Pray that our leadership will keep their hearts pure and humble, and that we will live at peace with each other.  Pray that we will be protected from the power of the enemy, and that God’s Holy Spirit will shine through in our lives.  Pray that the Lakotas in the community will come to know the Lord, and that the commitment they make will not be a superficial group of words, but a real change in their Spirits that will alter the course of their lives for eternity. 

E-mail addresses.  For those of you who have e-mail addresses, please send them to me.  That way, these monthly newsletters can be forwarded to everyone in your church who wants one!  Just send your name and e-mail address to me at benfarrar777@hotmail.com, and I’ll make sure you receive this newsletter as often as it comes out.

Financial Assistance.  Our church is fortunate to have members who are generous in their giving. But some of our most generous members are, nevertheless, very poor.  We have long been blessed with assistance from outside churches and individuals, and we try to use those gifts wisely and well. 

If any one of you wishes to bless the church with a financial gift, you may send it to:

 First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

P.O. Box 170

Eagle Butte, SD 57625 

  This month, a donation was made to the church in memory of Miles Pinckney Farrar and Elizabeth Henkle Farrar.

May God bless you all, and draw you closer to Himself each and every day.

Yours in Christ,

Ben Farrar

Pastor

First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte